After WCW closed in 2001, Sting took time away from the business as he rode out his WCW contract, which still had time remaining.
While many WCW wrestlers jumped to WWE to be part of the Invasion angle, the high-paid stars such as Sting, rejected any buyout proposal and waited out their Turner contracts as they were still being paid.
Speaking on AEW Unrestricted, Sting said he had no conversations with Vince McMahon about possibly joining WWE on a deal after WCW was purchased.
"After it ended, we never did talk. There was never any discussion, at least not immediately after. It was maybe a year after that Vince reached out and we had a conversation. Talking with Vince, it was always good, but then you get his group of attorneys and my attorney and it all kind of falls apart. Long story short, I wasn't willing to make the commitment that he wanted. There was more to it than that," he said.
In 2003, Sting decided to link up with TNA for a handful of appearances, which turned into a full contract with the promotion.
When discussing his dealings with TNA, Sting revealed that he was still talking to Vince and the WWE at the time, revealing Vince's reaction to the news that he wouldn't be signing with WWE.
"I was called by Jeff Jarrett," recalled Sting. "He said, 'Do you want to come and do a show?' I did one and he said, 'Do you want to do another one?' 'Alright.' 'Could we get you to sign a deal and do something with us?' I didn't really want to do it and it took some twisting of my arm to do it, but I decided I was going to do it. Vince was in the picture once again during that time. I said, 'Vince, I'm going to TNA.' He said, 'The thought of you and the legacy you leave behind and you going to TNA is just...BLAGH!' He literally said, 'BLAGH!'"
Sting spent over a decade in TNA before joining WWE in 2014.
Though he hasn't wrestled since 2015, Sting is now part of AEW and is interested in doing cinematic matches for the promotion. Tony Khan appears on board with the plan as well. You can find Sting's full comments about a potential cinematic match by clicking here.
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